The invention relates to a method for starting up the electrical equipment of a lighting system.
The method according to the invention is intended for a lighting system which has a large number of electrical luminaries, at least one control device for actuating these luminaries, and control elements for controlling and programming the lighting system. Normally, all the electrical equipment is connected to a control line, which is in turn connected to the control interfaces of all the control devices in the lighting system. The equipment comprises, for example, electronic transformers for operating low-voltage incandescent halogen lamps, phase-gating dimmers, or electronic ballasts for low-pressure discharge lamps. Individual luminaries, or luminaries combined into groups, can be switched or regulated via the control devices, by operating a switch or a regulator, with the aid of control elements which are, for example, in the form of switches or regulators. However, the control elements are also used for programming the equipment via the control devices. In particular, control elements can be used to combine individual luminaries to form a group which can be switched or regulated simultaneously. However, first of all, it is necessary to ensure that the control devices can identify the luminaries assigned to them. For this purpose, the system is initialized before or during the process of starting up the lighting system for the first time, that is to say a method is carried out to allow the corresponding control devices to identify the individual electrical equipment items. This method is a precondition for the control devices being able to identify and actuate the equipment assigned to them. Normally, the identification of the equipment by the control devices is ensured by means of a coding device on each luminary.
European Laid Open Specification EP 0 639 938 A1 describes a method for actuating a lighting system as claimed in the preamble of patent claim 1. In particular, this document discloses a method for assignment of group addresses to the luminaries and electrical loads in the lighting system. Laid Open Specification EP 0 639 938 A1 does not describe the way in which the individual luminaries are identified by the control devices.
The object of the invention is to specify a method for starting up a lighting system which, during a starting-up phase of the lighting system, allows each individual electrical equipment item to be assigned to a control device to be identified by this control device, using simple means.
The method according to the invention for starting up a lighting system which has a plurality of electric luminaries which are fitted with lamps and equipment for operating these lamps, and at least one control device for actuating the electrical equipment and control elements for controlling and programming the at least one control device, has, during a starting-up phase of the lighting system, method steps for the at least one control device to assign addresses to the electrical equipment. According to the invention, the following method steps are carried out in order to assign addresses to the electrical equipment:
a) Applying supply voltage to the electrical equipment which is to be actuated by the at least one control device,
b) Transmitting a control command, which initiates the address assignment, from the at least one control device to the electrical equipment which is to be actuated by this control device,
c) Selecting an electrical equipment item, which is to be actuated by the at least one controt device, by interrupting and remaking the electrical contact to a lamp of this electrical equipment,
d) Signaling the contact interruption back from the selected electrical equipment to the at least one control device,
e) Transmitting of an address from an address supply, which has not yet been used, of the at least one control device to the selected electrical equipment,
f) Storing the address assigned to the selected electrical equipment in a non-volatile memory in the equipment, and cancellation of the selection,
g) Repeating steps c) to f) for the other luminaries, whose electrical equipment is actuated by the at least one control device and to which addresses must be assigned.
The method according to the invention allows the corresponding control device to assign individual addresses to each luminary and to each equipment item, using simple means. By briefly interrupting the electrical contact between the equipment to be addressed and a lamp to be operated by this equipment, this equipment and this luminary are selected such that they can be identified by the corresponding control device, since the equipment associated with this luminary transmits a signs to the control device when the lamp is not connected. The lamps which are assigned to the equipment to be addressed need not necessarily be in use while this is being done. The electrical contact between the equipment and the lamp is advantageously produced by briefly disconnecting the electrical connection between the lamp socket and the lamp base. In the case of fluorescent lamps in the form of strips, it is sufficient, for example, to rotate the lamp to a quarter of a turn about its axis, in order to interrupt the electrical contact between the lamp socket and the lamp. During the starting-up phase, the control device reacts to the brief interruption in the electrical contact by transmitting an address to this luminary, or to the equipment which is associated with this luminary and operates the lamp, and subsequently canceling the selection of this equipment. The equipment stores the address assigned to it in a non-volatile memory. The nature of address assignment according to the invention does not require any coding switches on the equipment. In particular, the equipment, which is normally arranged concealed in the luminary, does not need to be made accessible for the initialization method. Furthermore, no specialist personnel are required to carry out the initialization method according to the invention.